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NEWS-REVIEW MAY 20, 1971 - THE NEWS-REVIEW PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY 930 Gwinnett Street - Augusta, Georgia Mallory K. Millender Editor and Publisher Mailing Address: Box 953 Augusta, Ga. Phone 722-4555 Application to mail at Second Class postage rates is pending at Augusta, Ga. 30901 SUBSCRIPTION RATES Pay able in Advance One Year in Richmond $2.50 tax incl. One Year elsewheres3.oo tax incl. ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT Classified Advertising Deadline 12 noon On Tuesday Display Advertising Deadline 12 noon On Tuesday Office Hours - 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mon, thru. Fri. PART 7 URBAN LEAGUE REPORT As a community service the News-Review will print the entire text of the report and recommendations of the National Urban League concerning the causes of the events of May 11, 1970. It should be made perfectly clear that the text of this report has not been edited or otherwise altered in anyway. Since the report is too lengthy to be printed in one issue, we will print it in a weekly series. We urge you to read it and carefully consider the information found therein so that we may begin to work seriously toward meaningful progress in race relations and human dignity. BACKGROUND Social Welfare refers to those agencies and/or organizations which serve to enrich the lives of community residents. The social welfare system could easily be described as the Golden Rule in action. However, if this system were truly the embodiment of the Golden Rule, this audit would have not been necessary. FINDINGS AUGUSTA CHAPTER OF THE AMERICAN RED CROSS The Red Cross acts as a medium of voluntary relief and communication between American people and the armed forces and carries on a system of national and international relief to prevent and mitigate suffering caused by disaster. All activities of the American Red Cross and its Chapters support these duties. Nationally and locally, the American Red Cross is governed by volunteers, most of its duties are performed by volunteers, and it is financed by voluntary contributions. The Augusta Chapter provides counseling, reporting, communications, assistance with government benefits, financial assistance, referral service to members of the Armed Forces and their dependents, and to veterans and thtii dependents. The Chapter has a program of Disaster Preparedness, and assists disaster victims on the basis of need when five or more families are involved. Free training in first aid, water safety, home nursing, mother-baby care, and baby-sitting is available. Opportunities for children and young people to participate in community and world service through Red Cross are provided through Red Cross Youth Programs. This includes recruitment and training to junior and senior high school students as volunteers to work in local government, civilian hospitals, nursing homes, community centers, libraries, and the Red Cross office. Also, adult volunteers are recruited and trained to meet community needs. Miss Mary Lou Reynolds, Executive Director, stated that the class concept has been diminished and replaced by modified courses. The Red Cross is training community people to train in their own communities and be advocates of the Red Cross. Staff turnover is low with the Augusta Chapter. When a vacancy for a caseworker occurred, Miss Reynolds stated that she had actively sought to have a black person fill this slot. However, she was unable to recruit a black person because the salary is low and Augusta does not have a large market of black social welfare workers. The two black members on her staff who are currently employed are receiving her support and encouragement for upgrading and are working toward serving and involving the total community. WAYS AND MEANS FOR THE BLIND The Ways and Means for the Blind is a national agency headquartered in South Carolina. They dispense needed items to the blind. Most of its services, however, are channeled through the local welfare department. Under a special housing program, down payments are made available to the blind. Three blacks in Augusta have received such payments. The agency has no paid staff and Mr. Hubert Smith volunteers his services one-half per day week. This organization serves all blind individuals as follows: Loans for home ownership (free of interest), gifts of downpayments on homes, Braille items, clothing, financial aid to persons getting adjusted to the use of guide dogs, monthly cash allotments to deft-blind persons, sundry gifts of small aids and tools where such are needed and the funds are not personally available to buy them. Funds for maintenance of operations are received from real estate owned by the national agency. UNITED CEREBRAL PALSY DAY CARE CENTER The United Cerebral Palsy Day Care Center carries out a regular program of social adjustment, training, and simple physical therapy for palsied children. Mrs. Berry is Executive Director and she stated that she feels that there are a large number of children who need the care provided by the center but who cannot attend due to lack of transportation. The center presently has seventeen enrollees (five black and twelve white). The center is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT, INC. Junior Achievement is not a member of the United Fund and must assume their own fund campaign. Their budget for the past year was $31,000, but at present they are financially insecure. They actively recruit in the black high schools according to Mr. Donald W. Green, Executive Director, and several young black students received awards during the past program year. ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY AUGUSTA Augusta was the twenty-fifth area funded in the state and did not receive funds until 1967. Funds received in 1967 amounted to $249,000. The Office of Economic Opportunity program involves tri-county participation and funding and includes Richmond, Burke, and Screven Counties. Mr. Charles Barreras, Executive Director, stated that the late funding was due to the resistance of local leaders and the prevailing conservatism in the community. He described Augusta as “a small parochial town growing up”. Mr. Barreras noted that because of the resistance to change which prevails in the white community of Augusta, the Office of Page 2 LETTER to the EDITOR Editor News-Review PROGRESS VS. CHANGE The proponents of unified government have painted a picture of progress. They have labeled all that question our proposed charter as being regressive, self-seeking and self-interested. I beg to take issue with these proponents. In the attempt of the proponents to equate progress with change, they have only deceived themselves. “Progress” is defined by Webster as a forward movement. “Change” is defined by Webster as making or becoming different. It is my position that our proposed charter provides for change but not progress. The most valuable of our rights, the right to vote, has been curtailed. How can we call an instrument progressive that takes power from the people and places it in the hands of a few. Gov. Jimmy Carter To The People Os Georgia ATLANTA (PRN) - Work on the reorganization is already well underway. About one month ago I began contacting business and industry to request the use of some of their best men and women. The response has been tremendous. We now have forty of the best management and technical people in the state working full time on reorganization-at no cost to the taxpayer. Their companies are donating their time. In addition, we have some of the brightest and most innovative young people within state government, representing thirteen agencies and departments, who also are working full time. Already, every agency which spends the taxpayers money has completed and returned a questionnaire which contains information on how the agency is organized and what is being done with the tax money appropriated to them by the legislature. These questionnaires will be used to determine where more detailed study is needed. The enthusiastic leadership of the heads of the various departments in state government has been one of the most exciting features of these first few months. These men, many of whom you elected to office this past year, are eagerly taking advantage of the opportunity provided by reorganization to improve services and cut costs in their own departments. Here are just a few examples of steps that have already been taken. Lieutenant Governor Lester Maddox has donated the part-time services of his legal aide Frank Blankenship to assist in the reorganization effort. Tommy Irvin, Commissioner of Agriculture. Economic Opportunity programs are unpopular and are resisted. The press, he stated, was gradually beginning to cover events and stories, but the overall atmosphere is very rigid and very hostile. The staff is genuinely concerned and dedicated, but continually voiced the opinion of not being able to achieve real changes because of the rigid and hostile attitudes of the community and its leaders. Mr. Barreras has developed task forces in employment, housing, welfare, and volunteer services to provide additional input and create broader based community support. The budget for the economic opportunity program in Augusta is cited below: tabie 31 BUDGET TOR T*E ECONOMIC OpPORT'.MF>0 p PORT'.MF> AUGUSTA. GEORGIA 1970-l°7l T -pe _• •_ c - r r e>. r_. -. £_ *• Se -■ ed Conduct : ♦•d; mi st ratio" tn 8, ’• 1 '"I $202 9U s'2 -:-g b i”"' $146,395 $20,-4 Ne Service Centers . 8/31/70 $135.71$ $78,589 ’ 800 8/31/7' $127,591 $88,096 Fe.-iil. Pier-, 9 8/3770 $ 40,338 $ 8,838 12 670 8/31/71 S 59,338 $ 8,838 Home Hee I th 8/31/70 $ 58,511 4.500 8/31/71 $ 59,568 $ 4,000 Surplus Foods 8/31/70 $ 30,281 -6.000 8/3i/7l Phased out Coope r at i ves 8/31/70 $ 33,329 $ 960 fluctuates 8/3'/7l $• 34,15** $ 3,000 fluctuates Emergency Food and Medicine 8/31/70 $ 40,151 $lO 261 fI actuates 8/31/71 $ 80,151 $17,*10 fluctuates Youth Opportunities 8/31/70 $ 15,000 My most critical complaint is the way the proposed charter was drafted. The common man, the worker, the very backbone of our country was hot even represented. The blacks were given token representation but of the 27 . member commission, who represented you and me? There were no public hearings prior to the drafting of the proposed charter. My views were not solicited as to what changes should be made, were yours? The very foundation of our government was based on the premise that government should be of the people, by the people and for the people. If you honestly feel that this proposed charter will result in a government of the people, by the people and for the people, then vote Yes, but I sincerely urge you to Vote No on May 25. Sincerely H. Samuel Atkins, Jr. has modernized and streamlined his department’s personnel system to attract more of the bright young people trained in agricultural and related areas by our fine colleges and universities. By bringing the department’s retirment regulations in line with the state system, he also is providing an opportunity for those who have served the state in Georgia agriculture well for many years to enjoy the retirement benefits which they have earned. Johnny Caldwell, Comptroller General, has combined the functions of fire marshall and arson investigator into one position and obtained the public spirited cooperation of local fire chiefs in a move to establish the same fine working relationship between fire chief and fire marshall that now exists between local law enforcement officials and the GBI. Bill Burson, State Treasurer, has developed a plan in his department to allocate treasury funds on a formula basis, thus removing politics from the handling of this state money. This was one of his campaign promises and one of mine too. John Blackmon, Commissioner of Revenue, has after intensive study, worked out a method to put your taxes to work drawing interest on a daily basis. State law only requires that he get the money out every forty-five days. Dr. John Venable, Director of the State Board of Health and Ellis MacDougall, Director of Corrections, will be using computers to plan menus, so as to make food purchases for prisons and state hospitals SEE CARTER PAGE 5 I *•*» A I ACTION ON NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE AUDIT STILL DELAYED With the exception of the final item on the agenda, the May 17th meeting of City Council was routine. Among the communications received by Council were cards of thanks from the families of L. Mendel Rivers and Whitney M. Young Jr. The report of the Mayor’s Committee on the National Urban League’s Audit of Augusta was made to Council by Dr. I.E. Washington. In calling for action and implementation of the Urban League’s recommendations, Dr. Washington quoted specifically from pages 157 and 158 of the Audit: “Recognizing the fact that many of the findings in this audit indicate inequitable conditions in Employment, Housing, Health, Welfare, Education, and in other areas as well, it is imperative that the city government move immediately to correct the long standing inequities between blacks and whites in the Augusta community. “Therefore we recommend: 1. That the mayor, in cooperation with the City Council and County Commission and with the advice and counsel of the Survey Advisory Committee, appoint an Augusta-Richmond County Task Force and that appropriate legislation be enacted by the City Council and County Commission to give this Task Force subpoena powers to act on all the problems involving discrimination. 2. That the Task Force be composed of not less than 21 nor more than 35 members and that emphasis should be placed on obtaining diverse representative group in terms of race, religion, national origin, and sex. 3. That the Mayor, in cooperation with the City Council and County Commission, appoint, a Task Force chairman, vice chairman, secretary, and other officers deemed advisable by the Task Force. 4. That the Task Force have the following duties and functions: a. To work towards the implementation of the general and specific recommendations of this audit, and b. To encourage, promote, and develop fair and equal treatment and opportunity for all persons regardless of race, color, creed, sex, or national origin, and c. To coordinate and assist local governmental agencies and commissions in their efforts to promote better human relations, and to cooperate with community, professional and religious organizations, Federal agencies, and other community groups in the development of public information programs and other activities in the interest of equal opportunity and justice, and d. To periodically (at least quarterly) report activities of the Task Force to the Mayor, the City Council and County Commission. The Task Force should meet at least once per month. All staff should be employed by the City and County governments and all funds necessary for operation of the Task Force mission come from funds available to the Augusta-Richmond County governments. e. To cooperate with the City Council and County Commission in their attempts to do whatever is legally necessary to equitably resolve problematic, discriminatory situations. No sooner had the Mayor thanked Dr. Washington for his report than a motion was made to give the report to some committee of Council. At this point Rev. Hamilton objected to further studies and called for immediate action. Some members of Council objected to granting subpoena power to a Human Relations Commission because such a body would have no enforcement power. Here, Grady Abrams repeated the need for subpoena power so that the Human Relations Commission would be able to fully expose the problems of Blacks and poor people, and deal with them in an effort to prevent further civil disorders. Since this debate was accomplishing nothing, I made a motion that the City Council and County Commission call a joint meeting as soon as possible and get down to the business of acting on the National Urban League’s report. They had done the community audit, Dr. Washington headed a committee to study the report; there was no further need of study. Now is the time to act, because further delay only allows the problems of the poor to grow worse each day. Youth Opportunities for Economic Development 8/31/70 $ 50,000 5OO . Economic Development and Research 8/31/70 $ 69,293 Economic Development and Research, Screven County 8/31/70 $ 27,551 $ 3,200 varies OFFICE OF SOCIAL SECURITY The Social Security Administration of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare covers ten counties in Georgia and four in South Carolina. Field representatives visit each county on a set day and their officers are always located in the same place. The outreach schedule for October, November, and December is: Off ICE or SOCIAL SECUR'-'’ OuTAEACr SCHEDULE FOR OCTOBER, NOVEMBER, ANO DECEMBER C 2 ty J 2 mePI ace October November December Applying '0:00- 1 2:00 Welfa-e Dept. Ist sth 3 r d Fort Gordon 9:00-‘2;00 Hospital Each Wednesday (except M/L Lincolnton 9.30 J 2:00 Courthouse Ist and 3rd Thursdays i.ouisv<l*e 9:30->2:00 Welfare Dept. Each Monday Millen 9:30-i2:00 Courthouse Each Tuesday Swainsboro 9:30-12:00 Federal Cou*t Each Thursday (except 11/26 Building 12/24, and 12/31), Ist and (Old Post o*f) 3rd Mondays and 12/28 Thompson 9:00-12.00 City Ha»l Each Monday VA Forest Mills 9:30-12:00 Hospital Each Thursday (except 11/261 VA Lenwood 9:30-12:00 Hospital Each Tuesday Warrenton 9:30-12:00 City Hall 2nd and 4th Tuesdays Waynesboro 9:30->2:00 Post OH ice Each Wednesday (except 11/1 1 Wrens 9’30-12:00 Wrens Community Building Ist and 3 r d Wednesdays These schedules are announced publicly and publicized. The frequency of the visits depends upon the volume to be served. When the field representatives leave the office in a local community, they make personal contacts, go to various agencies and departments and the courthouse, and do general work in the community. RICHMOND COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY AND CHILDREN SERVICES The Department of Family and Children Services is charged with the responsibility of administering the county welfare program. Os the various programs operative under the State Department of Family and Children Services, the Richmond County offices carries all. This department has made strides in several areas, such as: A working relationship with the local Chapter of the National Welfare Rights Organization in development of a new, simplified application form and several persons who receive Aid for Dependent Children have been hired as Home Service Aides. City Council Report Carrie J. Mays -Sr (OUR NATION PERILOUS BY RIGHT AND LEFT ZEALOTS) The present raging controversy on bugging prominent person’s telephones and filing of citizens personal actions by numerous government agencies will eventually erupt into a national issue. The increasing growth of cable television will eventually penetrate every home in the next 10 years, rivaling the telephone system. Cable television envisions feed-back programs that will let audiences respond instantly to events of national and global interest. The government snooping agencies could computerize data gathered on citizens and pool it in regional storage complexes. This would pose a threat to every citizen’s right to privacy. In this advancing age of electronic use, public opinion could be sampled and response could be recorded for future reference. If the President so desired, he could easily ascertain who watched his televised speeches and who didn’t; also, he could find out who turned him off before he had concluded. Many concerned citizens are perturbed by this potential technological penetration. In a Democracy, where so much latitude must be tolerated, and Rennie Davis and his breed have abandoned decent respect for our type of social order, there is some justification for the rash of government scrutiny. There is also danger in the possibilities of the power-mad Army and FBI carrying orderly surveillance to the extreme. Then unscrupulous minor bureaucrats could be tempted to misuse intimate information without the consent of the citizenry. Many top-flight authors have published books on this possible peril. “The Information Machines” by Dr. Ben Bagdikian is a remarkably well researched study, and “The Assault On Privacy” by Arthur Miller has been well read in legal and university circles. These two books are superbly written by two of the nation’s most knowledgeable authors relating to this nefarious business of snooping by agencies of the Federal government. Dr. Bagdikian vividly described at length, the increased information-handling capacity of future TV. “He authoritatively states, that, if nothing else, the resulting falseness of impressions can produce much confusion. For instance last fall most conservative journalists and politicians, including the President, and Mr. Agnew, were pursuaded that the U.S. was experiencing a furious reaction of the hardhats against the longhairs. But the results of the November election showed that the Nixon administration was not as popular as some thought it was. This repressive attempt to monitor citizens by the Republicans must be watched closely, because methods such as these were fore-runners of Hitler’s Germany. (AN UNCONCERNED CHURCH) Jim Ransom, church columnist appearing in The AUGUSTA CHRONICLE, struck out at the irrelevancy of the present-day Christian church. Os course Ransom was speaking explicitly to the White Church, because the Black Church is only a surrogate of the real ecclesiastical community. Mr. Ransom condemned the church for clinging to institutionalism as the prime end to its existence. Church buildings and extension programs, turning their heads and hearts away from the raging battle of truth and righteousness, these have been its Babylon. The learned Christian journalist made these perspicuous observations “A religion that is unrelated to the world and its needs is not the Christian religion. Christ met life hsad on, healing the sick, feeding the hungry, giving hope to the outcast, and most of all demonstrating a sacrificial love that gives to all humanity understanding of what God is all about.” The religious writer continues “When a Church opens its educational facilities to a community-sponsored program for the deprived or when a congregation provides a low-cost day care center for working mothers of little means or a church camp is made available for slum-area youth, then, and only then, such churches will have learned what it means to be churches of the Lord Jesus Christ. “The risks of reaching out to outsiders, and opening church doors to strangers are not to be denied; but to concern ourselved more with the risks than with the possibilities of doing unto the least of these is to miss the mark of authentic Christian discipleship.” If we twentieth-century hypocrites could be worthy of a Christian community described by Mr. Ransom, we could change this old troubled world over-night. The Food Stamp Program is administered by the Richmond County Department of Family and Children Services. It is open from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays except from the 25th to the 1 st of the next month. The program has only been operative since February, 1967, as they initially had the Commodities Food Program. To receive food stamps, an application must be verified and a credit check run. Because of a case overload, it is not possible to provide supportive services to food stamp purchasers such as consumer education and related programs. Table 32 shows the total stamp recipients in comparison to public assistance recipients. TABLE 32 Food Stamp Recipients Public Assistance Recipients Total No. Total No. Tot-*l No. Total No. Total A-- :-t Households Persons Households Persons Food S ■.■■■■; 1969 August 787 2,1*00 553 I 988 $ 39,671 September 785 2 359 566 '.998 5 38,72* October 891* 2,560 609 .693 5 9t,939 November 839 2,550 600 1 58/ $91561 December 880 2.703 695 ',739 $ 99,'*59 1970 jcouar/ 855 7.600 613 1.685 593,02/ February 1.059 3.329 738 2.107 582,070 March 1,29' 9,033 • 821 2,389 $ 99,299 April 1,955 9,858 918 2.715 5120,158 May 1.755 5.869 1,038 3.137 5195.387 June 2,031 6,867 1,018 3,992 $169,369 July 2,696 8,910 1,391 9.153 5218,118 August 3.037 10,073 1.532 9.679 $298,973 The February increase in total amount of food stamps purchased revealed in Table 32 reflects revised, less stringent government requirements. Approximately 99.5 percent of applicantshave been certified in the past; however, denials are increasing. The Department of Family and Children Services is responsible for certification and distribution. It normally takes one to three days to receive certification. The local United States Department of Agriculture’s office has primary responsibility for the overall administration of the program. There have been several reports of people selling their food stamps in the front of stores, but the Walking WITH DIGNITY BY Al IRBY